1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to educational devices and methods. More specifically, the present invention relates to a motor and cognitive skills development program that includes a series of exercise mats having various instructional patterns thereon in increasing degrees or levels of physical and mental difficulty from very basic to more advanced moves and instructions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The teaching of very basic physical and cognitive skills and knowledge to very young children and toddlers can be a difficult undertaking. The same is true of many other groups, e.g., persons suffering from autism or in need of special education or rehabilitation, etc. Explaining various jump activities, i.e., forward, backward, lateral, either or both feet, etc., may not be particularly difficult when communicating with a person having a reasonably good understanding of spoken instructions, or a person who is able to read and understand basic instructions. However, very young children or toddlers do not enjoy such a command of the language, and/or numbers and other symbols, for that matter. The same is true of children who speak and understand a different language from that of the instructor.
As a result, a number of different techniques have been employed to teach large muscle motor development skills, i.e., physical coordination, etc. These techniques generally rely upon individual markers, e.g., beanbags, variously shaped and colored cutouts or panels, hoops or rings, etc., with the teacher instructing the students to jump to, on, or into a given article. However, even if the student recognizes the command and can carry it out to some degree, the physical act of jumping or moving to the desired article tends to displace the article from its original location. Thus, not every student has the same task to perform at each turn. Moreover, instructions to perform more advanced maneuvers, e.g., jump to the side, jump using one foot, etc., may be more difficult for the instructor to convey verbally, and very young students or persons not familiar with the instructor's language will have some difficulty in understanding the wishes of the instructor.
Thus, a motor and cognitive skills development system solving the aforementioned problems is desired.